This is a seminar created just for YOU! It is to help you get in touch with your artistic soul and share it with others. When you have completed the seminar, you are welcome to take this specially designed Graduation Certificate to display on your sidebar.

Please include a link back to my blog so that others can take the seminar and grow in their craft! There are 7 lessons in all--and I hope that each one has special meaning for you.

I received an email from a total stranger the other day. She said, "Cindy, thank you so much~I have just discovered your blog. It is more than a blog--It is a Learning Center!" I was so excited because that is exactly what I want my blog to be. Because I did a great deal of research for my books, during that process, I also came to realize some deeper concepts that I wanted to pass on to others.

The site of my first "One-Woman" art exhibition~

Many people are timid about using their own gifts. Expressing their talents can often be tossed aside throughout their lives in place of other people’s needs. So, if you want to carve out time for yourself and get this artistic ball rolling, read on...

Lesson 1:

You--the Artist

I have received numerous emails throughout the past couple of years. I cannot begin to tell you how many artists tell me that they are not artists. They do not perceive their own work as art. (They would like to, but feel like it would somehow be boasting.)

So, let me ask you~Do you make cards? Do you enjoy scrapbooking? Do you create vignettes for your home? Do you repurpose vintage items? YOU are an artist. And once you realize that, you are on your way to even more creativity!

If you do not value yourself and your own talent, how can you expect others to? So, begin there first--accept who you are...and then, let your creativity take flight!

Interesting fact: The French artist Marcel Duchamp’s piece “Fountain” was deemed by critics to be the most influential piece of the 20th century. Do you know what it is? It is a urinal. It is one of Duchamp’s “readymades.” He did not make it. He signed it and it went on exhibition.

Lesson 2:

Why create at all?

Just think for a moment about what defines civilizations. Isn’t art one of the biggest earmarks that people of centuries ago actually existed? That alone should give you just a CLUE about how important art is. Do you think that artists of long ago who painted in the quiet of their homes thought that their work would one day become valuable? Probably not. And even if they did, do you think the idea of their works being sold at an auction 200 years later in excess of a million dollars ever crossed their minds? Art was created for art’s sake.

So, why create art? Because it is freeing...It allows you to explore your own inner self--the You that you are trying to express to others. You are the sum total of ALL that you have experienced in your life. No one has gone through what you have--good and bad. There is not another person on the entire planet who has had the multitude of experiences that you have traversed in this lifetime....

Did you think that you had to climb Mt. Everest to qualify as having had a “true” experience? Not at all. Did you give birth? THAT is an experience. Did you stay up all night with a child who had a fever? That is another experience. Did you rescue an animal? Did you help an ailing parent? Did you help a friend in need?

ALL of these are experiences and YOU have probably had your fair share of them--and even more. So, that is what you bring to the table....and you go from there.

Lesson 3:

What Can You Express?

While many art books talk about projects (my own included), who really talks about the YOU of it? Let’s face it: We’re all different. We like different colors, textures, and techniques.

I may look at a piece of art and think, “Wow, I love that!” You could look at the same piece and think, “That doesn’t really appeal to me.” Why is that? It is because we all have a different sense of aesthetics and it is precisely that cornucopia of taste that makes this so thrilling.

So, what can you express? You can express softness, happiness, anger, frustration--It’s all coming from inside waiting to take shape in the form of art.

Why hold back? This is an opportunity and you will get more in touch with yourself than you ever have if you allow your own gifts to come forth.

Lesson 4:

Art and the Artist

It is very difficult separate art from the artist. Think about famous artists whose work we all recognize. Aren’t their thoughts and feelings evident in their work? When we look at one of them, isn’t it obvious what emotions are displayed? If someone was tormented, don’t we see remnants of it hundreds of years later painted on a canvas? If an artist had serenity, isn’t it apparent?

You are unique and so is your art. Each one of us puts a different spin on something even when we use the same graphics. THAT is our individuality shining through.

Even you being on the Internet is not an accident. Read that again. Even you being on the Internet is not an accident. Because it is here that you can explore techniques, meet other people, and share your love of being in this process. Yes, you could do it alone. But, would it be as satisfying? So, while you are letting your own talent spring forth, it is a gift to be able to share the artist in you with the artist in others and enjoy this immense circle of creativity.

Lesson 5: Say It in Color

The joy of mixed media art is that there are so many styles to create in....Your work can be modern one day and vintage the next. Remember those emotions I was talking about? You can express them in colors that you feel at the moment. When someone else sees them, it will speak to their souls, as well.

You see, as you express yourself in colors that you love, others will respond from the deepest part of them and connect to your work. I go through stages, both in terms of colors, as well as styles and techniques. When I complete a piece--even a tag--it becomes like a snapshot of what is going on in my life at that exact moment. I can look at a picture of it a year later and it triggers my memory to what was going on that day or week.

Once you start expressing yourself through art, there will be a marked change in you. You will perceive yourself differently. Even if you have a “day job,” working on art on the weekends will let you be in touch with a side of you that is yearning to come out--and people will see you for who you truly are, because in fact, we are all multi-faceted human beings.

So, use colors. Let them do your expressing for you. Even starting with an art journal is a way to begin the process. Buy some markers. Go to town. Have fun!

Have you ever noticed the correlation between the word “journal” and “journey?” I think it is astounding--and no accident. If a journal is part of your journey, even if it is simply to keep notes about future projects, it can be helpful in this process. But, it can also be a starting point--and you might surprise yourself with what you can express through it.

Lesson 6:

Giving Yourself Permission

From the time we are small, we live in a world of rules. When we are in school, we form lines. We hang our coats in the cloakroom. We are released to go to lunch because a bell rings. We come home and follow more rules. We do our homework. We help with dinner dishes. We clean our rooms....and on and on and on.

So, how on earth can we carve out a MOMENT to be creative? And what about our upbringings makes us think it is “okay” to be artistic?

Well, let me tell you a story about a little 5-year-old named Cindy. She was in kindergarten and coloring a picture of an apple tree. She kept adding apples to it and having the best time. Soon, it was mandatory nap time and all the children grabbed their cots to get ready to lay down. Cindy sat at the table coloring and was prepared not to move a muscle other than those that were required for coloring. The teacher approached and asked, “Are you going to take a nap?” Cindy smiled and answered, “As soon as I finish this picture.” Miss Copitus, my kindergarten teacher, let me color. She let me color right through nap time. I am still coloring. I am still adding apples. My journey has never stopped.

Lesson 7:

In Touch With Who You Are

Many people have said to me, “I am not an artist. I don’t paint. I don’t draw.” My answer to them is a question: “Do you breathe?” Because if someone breathes and wants to create, they can do it. In fact, it has never been easier than right now. There are numerous images to use and all kinds of styles to capture in your own art.

Think about it: If you had created 20 years ago, how many people would have seen your work? With the Internet, you can share and grow as an artist. AND your work can be seen by people all over the world.

In 2005, my husband and I moved to Louisiana. By 2007, we had renovated our home--a 9-month project--in the midst of my writing my Master’s Thesis. When our house was completed, I fell asleep one night and had a dream. I dreamt that my mother came to visit from California. She loved our home. But, all of a sudden, she began redecorating and showing me colors I had never seen in my life. She went from room to room making sweeping changes. The colors were so bright. They were so vibrant. The dream literally stayed with me for days. How could such colors exist? How could anything be so bright?

Naturally, I thought the dream was about my house. Little did I know that it was about my art and what I would start to create. Within a few weeks, I began a 6-month art project for my community and my work went on exhibition. I had no idea that the dream was about the future. The colors were beyond description.

Maybe you have had a thought or a “nudging” from the universe, or a dream. Maybe there is a still small voice within you that wants to be heard. If so, begin the journey--and take us with you. We all want to see what you create!

After taking this seminar, my friend Suzy of Suziqu's Threadworks had an idea! She said, "Why not design something that people can hang in their studios with some of the key thoughts so that they can always have them near when they create? So, I have just designed this picture for you to frame. It is 6 X 8.